Remember last year when I wrote about my daughter’s newly found passion for monarch butterflies? Well, I recently received this text from her: “Guess who’s back!’ Emily was thrilled to find two more emerald chrysalises hanging from her front door – a repeat performance of last spring! (can you spot them? It’s the teeny tiny bright […]
I simply adore the birds that visit my garden. Here one moment and gone the next, their fleeting presence and sweet, sweet songs never fail to cause my heart to skip a beat. And the entertainment they’ve provided over the years has been priceless, adding so much joy to our lives. Recently, someone was […]
When the garden begins to shut down and take on its melancholy tones this time of year, I often think of my grandmother. I don’t know why, exactly, but one of the things I often remember is her empathy for fading flowers. Roses, in particular, that are just a bit past their prime and barely […]
Two days ago I flew to LA for the day to visit my daughter, and on a whim decided to visit the Getty Museum’s Central Garden. While I’ve been there before in the spring and summer, I’ve never visited in the fall and was excited to see the seasonal changes. The Central Garden differs from many of […]
One of my all-time favorite colors to use in the garden is black. While it can be tricky to find plants that have true black foliage (most are closer to maroon or deep purple), here are some of my favorites that come pretty close. And just in time for Halloween, too!
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to attend a party celebrating Timber Press’s new release, The Bold Dry Garden, written by Johanna Silver (who is also the garden editor for Sunset magazine). The event was held at one of my favorite places, The Ruth Bancroft Garden (appropriate, as that’s the subject of the […]
Throughout my daughter’s life, I’ve tried just about everything I could think of to pique her interest in gardening. And while she’s always appreciated playing in a beautiful garden, I realized early on that getting her excited about working in a garden just wasn’t going to happen. But, I figured if I can get her […]
I was so happy to finally have the chance to visit the New York Botanical Garden, during their 125th anniversary no less! I blocked out the entire day to explore as much as I could of this massive, 250-acre garden in the Bronx, and while I wasn’t able to see everything, I did manage to […]
I’ve been home from my trip to New York for ten days now and have been excited to share with you some of the gardens I visited but life seems to have gotten in the way – for now, at least. On the last day of my trip, I received a phone call from Dan, […]
I’m bursting with excitement, as my daughter and I are returning to NYC tomorrow for a week of fun and garden-touring. For those of you who don’t know, we lived there for two months in 2014 and had such an amazing life-enriching time that I couldn’t wait to return, even if only for a few […]
Boy, did I hit the jackpot when I was born. I’ve always felt that way, even in the midst of my rebellious, bratty teenage years. When my other friends would band together and badmouth their parents to see who’s was worst, I could never bring myself to join in because I knew in my heart […]
A few weeks ago, Johanna Silver (Sunset Magazine’s Garden Editor) reached out and asked if I would be interested in designing a garden for a forthcoming article, with the emphasis on using plants from Sunset’s new Western Garden Collection. Hmmmm….tough decision. Let me get this straight, I thought, design a garden for Sunset? Where I […]
